Announcing the Participants for the 2018 Artist-In-Residence Program at the Joan Mitchell Center

We are pleased to announce the artists selected for our 2018 Artist-in-Residence program, which is hosted at the Foundation's Joan Mitchell Center in New Orleans. Recipients include artists local to New Orleans, as well as national and international artists who have previously received grants from the Foundation. Artists awarded residencies for 2018, organized by the season in which they will begin residency, include:

To provide awardees with the greatest level of flexibility and to accommodate individual needs, artists are able to defer their residencies. A number of artists who were awarded residencies in 2016 and 2017 will be participating as part of the 2018 cycle. Artists awarded in 2016 who will be in residence in 2018 include: Gary Kachadourian, Baltimore (Spring); Tracey Snelling, Berlin and Oakland, CA (Spring); and Travis Somerville, San Francisco (Spring). Artists awarded in 2017 who will be in residence in 2018, include: Rema Ghuloum, Los Angeles (Spring); David Lozano, Chicago (Spring); Adriana Corral, Texas (Fall); Paul Rucker, Baltimore, Seattle, and Richmond, VA (Fall); and Vincent Valdez, San Antonio (Fall).

Additionally, through the Alliance of Artists Communities, an international association of artists' residencies, the Center is collaborating with 3Arts, a Chicago-based nonprofit that supports and promotes underrepresented artists, to bring Chicago-based artist Jo Cattell and Los Angeles-based artist David Leggett to the Center for residency in Fall 2018.

About the Artist-in-Residence Program
All of the artists are provided with private studio space at the Center, a stipend, and the opportunity to participate in communal dinners five nights a week. Artists coming from other parts of the U.S. are also given lodging at the Center's two-acre campus in the historic Faubourg Treme neighborhood, and an additional stipend for travel and shipping work. The Foundation launched the Artist-in-Residence program in 2013 as an extension of its grants programs, offering artists the essential benefits of time and space to experiment, create new work, and build their networks of fellow artists and arts professionals.

"Joan Mitchell often opened her doors to artists at her home in Vetheuil, France. The Artist-in-Residence program was born out of Joan's spirit of generosity, and her enduring support of artists," said Christa Blatchford, Chief Executive Officer of the Joan Mitchell Foundation. "In addition to offering artists time and space to develop their practices, the Center emphasizes community-building as an important aspect of fueling artistic endeavor. It's a chance for artists to connect with each other and with the broader public in New Orleans, in ways that can have lasting impact on their work and careers."

Residencies typically range from four weeks to five months in length, depending on artist needs, and begin seasonally throughout the year. As part of the program, artists-in-residence participate in a range of public programs organized by the Center, including open studios, artist talks, public forums, and networking events like Community Coffee, which take place monthly and invite artists, curators, arts administrators, and the public to connect. Public engagement is a vital component of the Center's residency program, sparking creative exchange and encouraging relationship-building. Artists also have access to professional training and development support, including studio visits with local, national, and international curators and arts administrators.

"The City of New Orleans is home to an incredibly diverse array of creative individuals, and its rich history and culture provide fertile ground for experimentation, dialogue, and the exchange of ideas among people of vastly different walks of life. It is among the many reasons the Foundation chose to open the Center here. Embracing this community and fostering engagement that spans the local and national, the historic and contemporary is at the core of the Center's residency program. We are always so inspired by the achievements of our resident artists, and the ways in which this city influences their work," said Gia M. Hamilton, Director of the Joan Mitchell Center. "And we are particularly excited to welcome the 2018 residents, as we celebrate the city's Tricentennial and recognize the incredible vibrancy of New Orleans' artistic community."

Selection Process
There are three selection tracks for residencies at the Joan Mitchell Center. Artists based in New Orleans are chosen through a joint nomination and application process. Center leadership identify local nominators to recommend artists, who are then invited to apply. Applications are reviewed by an anonymous independent panel comprised of artists, curators, art historians, and leaders from a variety of arts organizations. Providing access to residencies for local artists is an important aspect of the Center's mission, which was opened by the Foundation in 2010 following years of financial support for the creative community in New Orleans after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. For the 2018 residency cycle, in conjunction with initiatives around New Orleans' Tricentennial, several additional spots were opened to local artists.

All previous recipients of Joan Mitchell Foundation grants, which include the Painters & Sculptors Grants, Emerging Artist Grants, and Emergency Grants, are also eligible to apply as well as those who have served as Artist-Teachers for the Foundation. Applications are likewise reviewed by an anonymous independent jury, which makes final selections. And each year, several residency spots are held for artists selected by partnering organizations, as part of the Center's efforts to reach and support a wide spectrum of artists.

Download the full press release here.
Learn more about the artists on our website.